


On My Wrist

by NearlyBanjou



Category: Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Implied Sexual Content, M/M, Multi, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Soulmates
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-24
Updated: 2019-03-06
Packaged: 2019-07-01 20:05:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,443
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15781149
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NearlyBanjou/pseuds/NearlyBanjou
Summary: As far back as Marvelous could remember he had five circles on his wrist, one blue, one yellow, one green, one pink and one silver, all connected like a chain. Then he joins the red pirates and meets Basco ta Jolokia and a new mark appears.





	1. Basco

As far back as Marvelous could remember, the marks had always been there. The colored circles that decorated the inside of his wrist were the only thing he had left of his home world, his parents, but he didn't even know what they meant. There were five of them, rings of blue, yellow, green, pink and silver, and they were all hollow and linked to each other, almost like a chain. 

As his petty thefts every now and again for the sake of survival transformed into pirate adventures for the thrill, Marvelous took up covering the marks with bracelets, a fleeting thought of protecting himself from being identified passing through his mind. 

Soon enough, the weight of the bracelets was comforting and familiar, and thoughts of the marks were as fleeting and rare as thought of the parents who abandoned him to fend for himself as a child. 

~

It wasn’t long after Marvelous joined the Red Pirates that a red rectangle began to appear around the circles, framing them. He noticed it only once, so used to just disregarding the marks completely that it barely registered, just a small change that he assumed had always been there. At that point it was still faint so he left it alone, not really caring about the change, that is until the first time he kissed Basco. 

It was a couple months after Marvelous had joined the Red Pirates. He and AkaRed had gone out to retrieve another key, and in the process of escaping, Marvelous had been shot.

He remembers hearing the gun and then seeing his own blood on his hands before he fell to the ground. After that there's only the faint recollection of AkaRed yelling for Basco to bring the Galleon, then flashes of a red aura and gunshots before the noise died down and a pair of strong arms picked him up. The last thing Marvelous recalls before he fully lost consciousness was Basco looking at him worriedly as he lay almost dead in his arms. 

But then Marvelous woke up on the couch of the Galleon, his wounds bandaged, his head in the lap of a sleeping Basco and he wasn't dying anymore. 

He slowly began to sit up, taking stock of his injury, but before he could even stand Basco had snapped awake and pulled him into a crushing hug. 

“You're finally awake! AkaRed said that you would definitely wake up, but I was still so worried”

Basco pulled away from the hug, holding Marvelous at arm’s length. 

“But you're ok”

And then Basco was kissing him desperately. 

Marvelous barely had time to register how good it felt to have Basco’s lips on his before the cook had pulled away, letting go of Marvelous and starting to stand up, muttering something about food, but before he could get more than two steps away Marvelous had grabbed his wrist and yanked him back, pulling him into another kiss. 

The young pirate had intended for this kiss to be much longer, but almost instantly his wrist began to burn and he pushed Basco away with a strangled scream, frantically trying to pry the bracelets off his arm. 

Basco had jumped away worriedly at the sound, but quickly regained his composure and began untying the complicated bracelets that Marvelous was getting nowhere with in his attempts to pull them off using only brute strength. 

When they finally got the covers off they were both left gaping at what appeared to be Basco’s name writing itself into the red box on Marvelous’s wrist, covering the five rings with blood red script. 

When the last letter carved itself in, the searing pain Marvelous had felt vanished, leaving only a dull ache in its wake. 

At some point during the commotion AkaRed had risen from his quarters and sat himself in the captain’s chair, waiting for Marvelous’s tears to stop. When he noticed the young pirate slowly lifting his wrist to investigate the new mark he got up to join the two on the couch. 

Ever so carefully he took Marvelous’s wrist in his hand, running his gloved fingers over the mark. 

“Basco” he suddenly called out, startling the young cook. “Get Marvelous something to eat, he needs to recover from his wounds”

Basco nodded numbly at him, too shocked at what had happened to reply, and slowly made his way to the kitchen to prepare dinner. 

As soon as Basco left the room AkaRed turned to face Marvelous, the air in the room suddenly getting thicker. 

“Listen to me Marvelous, do you know what these marks mean?” 

At the slight shake no of the young pirate’s head AkaRed sighed. He slowly began tracing the marks as he began to explain. 

“I met someone with similar marks once before, and after that encounter researched them extensively. These marks represent the extension of your soul, the person, or in your case people, who have the potential to complete you, to make you better, or in some cases to ruin you, and if I am to assume correctly, your marks were just overwritten by Basco. Tell me the truth, did you have the red mark before you became part of this crew?” 

Marvelous thought back and slowly shook his head no, staring down at his wrist in wonder, that he could have such a thing and never even know the meaning. He was in awe.

AkaRed sighed again before tilting Marvelous’s head up to see his eyes. 

“Be careful with your heart Marvelous, but don't be scared to love. You are a good man, never let anything change that.” 

Marvelous just stared at AkaRed, processing what he had said, but as soon as he opened his mouth to respond Basco appeared from the kitchen, a huge bowl of noodles in one hand and a giant plate of chicken balanced on the other. 

“I hope you're hungry Marvey-chan because there's plenty more where this came from when you finish”

Marvelous looked up at him, a large grin stretching across his face, AkaRed’s words slipping from his mind as he looked at the man in front of him. 

“Bring it on!” 

~

AkaRed stood up quietly and made his way over to his chair, watching his two crew members interact. He wanted to believe that this crew, the three of them could work, but the feeling of unease that had settled in the pit of his stomach upon seeing Basco’s name so violently slashed into Marvelous’s wrist would not calm down. 

The other marks, however, had given him hope. Blue, yellow, green, pink and silver, the colors of a team waiting to be born. 

With that thought in his head AkaRed quietly got up and started to make his way down to his quarters, determined to craft Marvelous the keys he would need for the rest of his team should the day come when Basco would betray them. 

When he reached the stairs, he turned back to look at his boys, eating happily together on the couch, and prayed that times would always stay like this, that the keys he would craft would go untouched.

~

Not much changed in the time after Marvelous gained his new mark. In fact, they lived happily together for almost a year, searching the universe for the greatest treasure in the universe before anything of note happened.

Most of their days were spent together on the Galleon. AkaRed had taken to spending more time than usual in his quarters, both to work on the new ranger keys he was crafting, and to give Marvelous and Basco some time to themselves. 

With their newfound privacy, the two pirates began a new relationship. No longer were they just crewmates, now they were soulmates, young and passionate in every way. 

On quieter days, Marvelous began joining Basco in the kitchen, learning how to cook and trying to distract the chef in any way he could. The more adventurous days saw Basco pressing Marvelous to any surface he could find and utilizing the pent-up adrenaline from a mission well done to ravish the younger pirate in any way he saw fit. 

Marvelous was happier than he had ever been. He was in love, he had a crew, and he was looking for the greatest treasure in the universe. For the first time in his life he wasn’t silently wishing for his parents to come back, he was laughing at them because they unknowingly gave him the best life he could have wished for.

But then it happened. Marvelous jerked awake one night, cold and alone in Basco’s bed, his wrist throbbing terribly, like he had sprained it badly, except the pain only radiated from Basco’s name. 

He let out a little whimper and slowly started to climb out of bed when suddenly the door cracked open and Basco appeared.

Before he could move any further Basco had enveloped him in his arms and was pulling him back into bed, mumbling something about using the bathroom and kissing him on the head. 

“Basco my wrist...” Marvelous tried to protest, shoving his arm in his bedmate’s face to get his point across. But Basco just batted the limb out of the way, silencing Marvelous’ protest with a deep kiss. 

By the time Marvelous fell asleep again, sprawled across a sweaty Basco’s chest, he was too blissed out to even remember why he had been awake in the first place, and the throbbing in his wrist had become only a dull ache, barely noticeable.


	2. Basco Part 2

The ache doesn’t go away after that night, but it doesn’t flair up again or get worse. In fact, Marvelous can ignore it most of the time. When he’s on a mission with AkaRed, or spending time with Basco, all thoughts of the slight pain vanish as if it was never there to begin with. But as soon as he’s alone, or he lets his mind start to wander, he starts to rub at the irritating bit of skin and wonder what could possibly be wrong.

Marvelous only thinks about the possibility that the pain could have something to do with Basco once. 

He and AkaRed were just returning to the Galleon after a very successful, but also very difficult mission, three new ranger keys to show for all their hard work. But when they get back they are met with an almost eerily quiet ship, no sign of Basco or his signature “you somehow managed to make it back alive” feast anywhere. 

As they stand there together in the main room, Marvelous can swear the pain in his wrist is getting worse and starts to wonder if it could be warning him about something, something to do with Basco. 

He is just about to ask AkaRed his opinion on the matter, tell him about the searing pain he had felt the other day, and how it had quelled but hadn’t stopped, when a panting Basco rushes into the room, arms weighed down with groceries. 

Immediately Marvelous’ eyes light up and he forgets his wrist in his rush to help Basco further into the room.

Basco plants a quick kiss to his soulmate’s cheek before starting to apologize for not being on the ship when they got back. He explains how he remembered last minute that this planet had an apparently galactic reputation for its handmade pasta and he didn’t feel right not picking some up while they stopped here, especially knowing Marvelous’ love for large amounts of good food. 

“Only the best for the man that I love.” Basco whispers in Marvelous’ ear, and that’s all it takes for Marvelous to cast aside all his doubts and theories as to why his wrist was hurting. Basco was more than fine and loved him, nothing could possibly be wrong.

He forgets in that moment that the planet they were on had been overtaken by the Zangyack. He forgets that there were no more locals to make the pasta by hand, there was no one there who would sell to anyone, let alone a pirate as well known as Basco. He forgets that though Basco may have taken on the role of a cook, he is a pirate and he does know how to lie.

But AkaRed does not. He watches as Marvelous blindly accepts the lies of the man he loves and knows that they are fast approaching the end of the Red Pirates. Against all of his hopes, Marvelous and his unwavering love of the cook was not enough to keep Basco from turning on them. 

AkaRed knows what would happen if he tried to get rid of Basco now, to prevent his betrayal before it could happen. Basco would paint him as a greedy cheat to Marvelous, insinuate that he had just been using them to find the treasure and had never intended to share with them. And then Basco would set Marvelous against him, would manipulate the poor lovesick boy into getting the treasure back for him. AkaRed knew he wouldn’t be able to hurt the young pirate, that he cared for him too much at this point, and Basco would use that to get the treasure and then dump Marvelous alone and heart broken, leave him behind just as the boy’s parents had done so long ago. 

So, with a heavy heart, AkaRed resigned himself to letting things play out as they must. There is little else he could do now for the young pirate he has come to love. But looking over and seeing the five colored circles still so bright under the bloody red of Basco’s name AkaRed feels some hope, enough that he makes a silent promise. He promises himself that he will protect Marvelous and his future soulmates with everything he can, even his life if he has to, and ensure that they will have a chance to find the greatest treasure in the universe and each other.

With that thought running through his head AkaRed retires to his quarters, determined to finish building Marvelous the weapons he knows the young pirate will need if he is to come out of this with all of his soulmates at his side. 

~

The next few weeks seem to Marvelous like a living hell. The pain in his wrist has only grown in its intensity, as have Basco’s disappearances. There are no more welcome home meals or kisses, just barely put together excuses. The once loving cook has only become rougher and colder, and Marvelous now wakes up covered in bruises, freezing and alone.

But still, Marvelous refuses to see that the pain in his wrist and Basco’s recent behavior could have any correlation. He instead blames himself for doing something wrong and lets Basco have his way with him, too blinded by his love to think clearly.

He eventually tries to seek AkaRed out, to tell him what’s happening and ask for advice He wants to ask his mentor if he has any idea what he could have done to push Basco away, but every time he sees the man, Basco is there, and he has too much respect for his mentor to try and bother him while he is locked in his quarters, especially with something so trivial. 

The only time they do end up alone is when they are out together, hunting for more keys to the greatest treasure in the universe. But those times have become Marvelous’ only escape, the only time he can forget about his wrist, and he doesn’t dare taint it by mentioning his pain. He figures he’ll find AkaRed soon enough, and that another day isn’t going to change anything.

But then suddenly everything does change.

Marvelous doesn’t know why it happened, or what caused it, but one morning he wakes up warm and in the arms of his soulmate. 

Basco spends the day worshipping him in every way. He makes him his favorite meals, pressing kisses into Marvelous’ skin whenever he can spare a moment away from the stove, and they eat together in their bedroom, trading jokes and jibes just like they used to before they fall back onto the mattress and become a tangle of limbs and whispered words of love. 

Later that night as he sits at the table, watching Basco bring their dishes back into the kitchen after a very satisfying dinner, Marvelous realizes that Basco has finally come home, that today was his version of a kiss hello, an apology, and a promise of a better future. 

And then everything seems to fall into place, that his wrist burning must have been Basco fully taking his place in his soul, and the burning today, the worst it had been since the mark formed in the first place, was because today was the final confirmation of their love that his soul needed, and Basco had fully accepted him as a soulmate. 

Marvelous didn’t think his day could get any better than this, but then AkaRed rose from his quarters, treasure chest in hand, and motioned them to join him by his chair.

He could feel it in his gut, how close they were to finally obtaining the greatest treasure in the universe.

As he took his place beside the two men he loved more than anything in the universe, his mentor and his soulmate, and stared at the fruits of all of their hard work, Marvelous thought to himself that nothing could possibly ruin this moment. He finally found the place he belonged.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote this entire chapter and had started on the next when word crashed and I lost everything I had written, completely my fault for forgetting that word doesn't automatically save everything like google docs does. Well it doesn't matter because I think this turned out better than it would have so maybe the universe was just trying to help me out.
> 
> Anyway, hope you liked this chapter. I'm getting my wisdom teeth out tomorrow (well technically today) so I have absolutely no idea how that will impact my ability and willingness to write, but I hope to update soon.


	3. An End and A Beginning

AkaRed knew he couldn’t put it off any longer. He had noticed the Zangyack ships that had been following them since last night, had seen Basco’s knowing looks as they gathered the last few ranger keys. Tonight was the night.

He silently laid the newly built ranger keys and mobirates on the desk of his quarters, figures of red, blue, yellow, green and pink looking back up at him almost mockingly, his scribbled “Gokai change” looked up at him like a bad joke. Next to them he placed a small wooden box with a note “For Marvelous: Do not open until you find the greatest treasure in the universe” written upon it. He then stepped back, eyes slowly roaming over the table.

Standing there, he wished he could’ve done more, could’ve finished the silver key, could’ve told Marvelous something, anything to protect him from the heartache and betrayal soon to come.

But there was nothing , and with nothing else to do AkaRed gathered his thoughts and grabbed the chest that held all the ranger keys before making his way to the main room.

~

Standing in front of the chest, Marvelous could only feel the excitement that burned through his veins, they had finally done it! He turned to try and meet the eyes of his soulmate, to share in the joy and excitement they both must be feeling, but he couldn’t. The only thing on Basco’s face was the cold glint and dark smirk of a predator, no trace of love or excitement. 

And then everything exploded.

Marvelous felt his legs collapse under him as his wrist began to burn anew, the rocking of the ship pushing him to the ground completely.

The ship was being swarmed by Gormin, but all Marvelous could see, could care about, was Basco walking away from him. 

“Why” he forced out, desperate to know how his soulmate could do this to him, could betray him like this, but Basco didn’t even look at him as he responded, so entranced by the treasure literally in his hands, the promise of reward beyond measure.

Marvelous saw red and couldn’t help himself. He sprung to his feet, ignoring the pain in his wrist, the fact that he was surrounded by Gormin, and pulled his gun, training it on the man he thought loved him.

But he couldn’t bring himself to pull the trigger, and before he knew it, he was falling down the stairs, rolling over and over himself, a bullet in his shoulder and Basco’s cold voice in his ear.

“Can’t gain something without getting rid of something else. So I’m getting rid of you…”

And then the pain was unbearable, like something was tearing his wrist to shreds and burning him while doing it. It felt like a lifetime of suffering, something that would never end. Everything around him became a blur of colors and sounds until AkaRed’s voice managed to break through the haze, telling him to run.

~

The next thing he knew, Marvelous was off the ship, fighting for his life and failing, a Sugormin about to end it all when AkaRed appeared like some sort of savior, treasure chest in hand. 

He shoved the box onto Marvelous’ chest and told him to take it and get to safety, to finish their dream without him, to survive for his sake. And then the red pirate was off running towards the rest of the enemies, sword in hand, and Navi was pulling Marvelous back to the Galleon, desperate to use the chance AkaRed had given them to survive.

~

As soon as she pulled Marvelous into the main room of the ship, Navi was off, bringing the Galleon’s computer online and setting sail into the night. Marvelous, though, could not bring himself to move, collapsing onto the ground in despair, surrounded by bits of destroyed Gormin.

His head was pounding, his heart was acing, his wrist still burned, his shoulder ached where he had been shot and he felt sick to his stomach. The events of the last hour were just too much for him to fully process.

Marvelous thought of the tender touches Basco had graced him with just hours before, the meal they had so lovingly fed to each other, and promptly threw up all over the floor, stomach rolling with new found disgust and self-hatred.

His eyes burned as he tried to fight the tears that were brewing, the physical pain of his shoulder and wrist almost drowned out by the deprecating thoughts that now flew through Marvelous’ head.

“How could you have been so blind, so stupid. This is all your fault. Anyone else would have noticed the signs, but you were just so enamored, so amazed that someone could actually love you that you let your guard down for the first time in your life. He never loved you in the first place, was just using you as a means to get treasure, as you’ve used so many others before him, and you fell for it. It’s your fault AkaRed is dead. He sacrificed himself for nothing, just some pathetic loser who will never be able to find the greatest treasure in the world, and who will never be able to love anyone.”

Marvelous took one look at the chest still in his arms and just couldn’t take it, hurling it as hard as he could across the room before grabbing his gun and pointing it at himself, hands shaking.

The tears finally started falling as he sat there, gun to his head, and grappled with himself, almost giving in to the voices that told him to end it all now, that the treasure wasn’t worth it, not with everything it had already cost him. He had no one left, no soulmate to love or mentor to make proud, all because of some stupid keys.

But then something strange happened. Marvelous’ wrist, which hadn’t stopped burning in pain since Basco’s betrayal, stopped hurting and started sending warmth and hope throughout his body. 

Immediately, Marvelous dropped his gun and stopped crying, feelings of hope and determination running through his veins. He slowly looked down at his no-longer painful wrist and undid the ties of his bracelet. 

Pulling off the leather revealed angry red flesh, swollen and slightly bleeding, Basco’s name now barely legible, almost scratched out completely, a physical manifestation of the tears Basco had placed in their bond. But Marvelous barely noticed that, too focused on the five circles that had always been there. They had started fading as Basco’s mark took over, the red writing too bright and large, but now they stood out above Basco’s name, brighter than they have ever been, pulsing with a warmth that Marvelous had never felt before, dulling his pain.

The warmth spread like a wildfire across his body as Marvelous traced the lines of the circles, entranced. 

That warmth was the last thing he felt before passing out completely on the floor of the Galleon.

~

The first thing Marvelous heard upon waking up was Navi squawking for him to “please not be dead, please please be alive,” and then all the aches came back, much more subdued than they had been the night before, but still present. 

The pleasant warmth from his wrist was now gone too, replaced by the dull throbbing he had become so used to, but the hope he had been filled with remained, drowning out most of the hateful thoughts that were trying to make their way to the front of his mind. 

Marvelous groaned and grabbed Navi to stop her from pecking his face off in her attempt to wake him up. “I’m up bird, get off me.”

At his response she sighed in relief before she remembered why she had been trying to wake him in the first place. Almost instantly she was fluttering around him in a panic, freaking out because she had no idea what they were going to do now. 

All of a sudden Marvelous was barraged with a million questions from the overactive bird and his head began swimming as he tried to think of how to answer them. What will they do now? Where could they go? Why did Basco betray them, him?

Too soon he couldn’t stand it anymore, there were too many unanswered questions, too many possibilities of what they could do now, too many things wrong and before he could stop himself the young pirate shouted out “I DON’T KNOW!” and ran from the room, leaving a shocked Navi behind him. 

The next thing he knew, Marvelous found himself outside of AkaRed’s quarters. It was where he would always find himself when he was in distress, hoping for reassurances or for guidance, though he was always too afraid to enter on his own and would instead wait just outside for the older pirate to come out and invite him in to talk. 

But now there was no more AkaRed, no one to wait for, and Marvelous just wanted the comfort he knew the room would provide. He slowly pushed the door open himself and managed to drag himself to the large bed in the center of the room before collapsing onto the sheets, tears silently falling down his face.

It was there, curled up in his mentor’s bed, that Marvelous let himself break down and remember everything that had happened the past few months.

He thought back to every instant that Basco had been less than caring, how obvious it was that he had been pulling himself away from Marvelous, from his soulmate. 

Marvelous felt like a complete idiot for not seeing the signs, for being too blinded by the idea of a soulmate, a stupid name on his wrist, that he let the suspicions and careful nature of a pirate that had saved his ass so many times in the past just slip away. 

Slowly Marvelous began to trace over the ripped-up letters of Basco’s name, once again more prominent than the five circles underneath. He took one last deep breath and long look before untying the bracelet on his other arm and using it to re-cover the marks. He never wanted to think of them again.

After laying in the bed for a while, tears now calmed, Marvelous started to take in the state of the room. Everything was how he remembered it from the last time he was here, from before he knew about his connection to Basco, except for one thing, his desk. 

Almost immediately Marvelous went over to investigate the new items and he was shocked to find 5 new ranger keys staring up at him from the table. He grabbed the red one, slowly turning it over in his hand, before noticing the mobirates left out next to them. Placing the key back down on the table he opened one of the mobirates only to find it upgraded, a new key hole added. Picking the red key back up he slowly entered it into the slot and turned it. 

The next thing he knew Marvelous felt powerful, almost invincible, and he looked just like the key! 

Turning to the other items on the table, he read the message on AkaRed’s note. 

As he stood there, AkaRed’s message running through his head, Marvelous felt the determination return to his body, his survival drive kicking in. Both Basco and AkaRed had issued him a challenge and he would win, he would get his revenge and open this box. The greatest treasure in the universe would be his!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I started school and it is hard, but I just had surgery so I will be in bed for at least 2 weeks, perfect chance to write and procrastinate doing my homework! Yay!


	4. Something Blue

Marvelous had been alone with Navi for months, putting his everything into rebuilding his reputation and stash of treasure, honing his fighting skills and learning how to use the new weapons left to him by AkaRed. He was malnourished and extremely exhausted, not sleeping because of the nightmares, rarely entering the kitchen because of the memories the space provoked. Everything was fighting, training, surviving.

Because of his lack of care, the scars from the night of the betrayal hadn’t faded yet. Usually a good night’s sleep and large meal were enough to close any wound, prevent any scars from forming, but of course Marvelous refused to do either of these things. 

Navi was extremely worried, she had no idea how to get Marvelous to help himself, so she tried to help him in the only way she knew how, reminding him to eat and sleep when he managed to go days without either, pestering him to take as many breaks as possible. She thought that helping him get his mind off of everything that had happened would be a good idea, but Marvelous only seemed to be getting worse. 

It had been another day of non-stop practice for Marvelous when Navi had started flying around his head, trying to get him to cancel his transformation for a moment. He had taken to practicing in the suit when he was too tired to stand on his own, relying on the extra power it provided him to function.

However, he just was not having it and swung a fist out at her, accidentally hitting her so hard she banged her head into the ceiling. 

Almost immediately a prophecy sprung from her beak.

“The first of five about to be found, look for the blue man and trust your gut.”

She slowly drifted to the ground as she spoke, one of her wings hitting the top of Marvelous’ belt buckle during her descent. Upon impact it suddenly turned open, revealing the blue ranger key that matched his own, a key that Marvelous knew was inside the treasure chest that held all of the keys. The treasure chest that was sitting literally right in front of him.

Pulling the blue key out of his belt, Marvelous laid it down on the table and opened the chest. Spotting the matching yellow key on top of the rest he tapped his belt buckle, watching in amazement as the key disappeared only to reappear in his belt.

Clicking the yellow key open, he grabbed his mobirates off his belt and slipped it in. Turning it quickly with a quiet call of “Gokai change” Marvelous transformed once again into the yellow version of his suit. 

Giddy with excitement Marvelous cancelled his transformation and flopped back into the captain’s chair, plunging his hand into the chest of keys with a laugh. Pulling out a handful of keys he started going through them, trying to remember the names AkaRed had taught him, so long ago now, but he could only draw a blank. Tightening his fist around the keys Marvelous held back the tears that had begun to form at the thought of his former mentor. 

Shaking his head, he let the keys drop, clearing his mind of any thoughts of AkaRed. Marvelous turned to Navi then, a smile plastered back on his face. “Bird,” he called, “what was that you just spouted? Something about five? And Blue?”

“I’m Navi” she squawked at him in exasperation, “and if you don’t get it right, I won’t repeat myself.”

Marvelous merely grinned before grabbing the bird and rubbing at her head until she relented, repeating the prophecy again. Hearing the words again Marvelous couldn’t help the strum of excitement that raced through him, sure that this prophecy indicated yet another set of ranger keys out there for them to find. 

“What are we waiting for! Set course for the nearest planet Bird. Let’s find us some treasure!”

As he watched her flit around, looking up the nearest planet on the monitor, Marvelous’ hand drifted back to the blue ranger key he had left out on the table. Fiddling with it as he waited, he didn’t even register that he had slipped it into his pocket when Navi called to him saying they had arrived.

 

~

Marvelous and Navi came down to the planet together and almost immediately spotted the Zangyack encampments covering up the once beautiful native architecture. His excitement for their adventure evaporated at the sight, memories of the night of the betrayal flooding back to him, until the sounds of fighting reached his ears.

Just a short distance away a humanoid soldier was fighting for his life, trying to run from the Zangyack cannon fodder that was chasing him. Staring in awe as the man fought back, still standing even as he was surrounded on all sides, Marvelous felt his wrist flare, the same warm hope he felt following Basco’s betrayal filling him once again.

Seeing the soldier fall Marvelous couldn’t stop the rage from overtaking himself and before he knew it his gun and sword were out, and he was heading towards the fallen man.

Up close Marvelous could see how beautiful the man truly was, even in his beaten and bloody state. Talking to the man as they were surrounded by Gormin, the words that came out of Marvelous’ mouth surprised even himself. “You’re the one I want”

But neither of them had time to dwell on the words as the surrounding Zangyack chose that moment to attack. 

Fighting side by side with this soldier was the most fulfilling thing Marvelous had done in months, even before the betrayal. They moved together as if they had been fighting side by side for years rather than seconds. The moment their eyes met they knew exactly what the other would do. It was the most in sync Marvelous had ever felt with a person, and at that moment Marvelous knew that he wouldn’t be able to live for another second without this man at his side, fighting with him.

Surviving the fight with the soldier, Marvelous was determined to drag the man with him. Even the knowledge that pulling off his transmitter collar could kill them both wasn’t enough to deter him, the warmth still flowing from his wrist the only confirmation he needed that this was the right thing to do.

Lying there on the planet’s surface, the still nameless soldier next to him, Marvelous remembered the blue key in his pocket, and hearing the man say “I’m with you, even beyond your dream” was enough for him to pull it out along with his mobirates and hand it to the man, a tool to help them achieve their dream. 

 

~

Having Joe on board wasn’t awkward, not even for a second, but it was extremely different from the lonely silence that Marvelous had grown accustomed to, and from the noise that once pervaded the ship when the red pirates were still together. 

Joe just seemed to fit, filling a role Marvelous hadn’t even realized was empty in his life, and at times it scared the pirate, how seamlessly they fit together, how even when they argued, there was never any malice or sting behind the words, how Joe was starting to look more attractive every day, and how Marvelous was starting to feel things he hadn’t felt since the beginning of his relationship with Basco.

He would catch himself at times, just staring at Joe with a smile on his face, almost happy for the first time in so long. Other times he would find himself staring at Joe’s lips, so ready to just lean in and kiss the man senseless. And it didn’t help that Joe seemed to notice, would flirt with him on any given occasion. And worst of all, Joe was still wearing Marvelous’ clothes, the two not having a chance to stop at a market yet, and he was milking it for all it was worth.

Any other time in his life, Marvelous would have been on Joe in hours, days at the most, but every time he was about to give in, he remembered his first kiss with Basco, the searing pain that had flashed across his wrist, and the horrors that occurred after, and he held himself back.

Sometimes it seemed like Joe was going to say something or make a move, but for now he left it alone. Both of them were still to broken to move on at least for now. Almost every night Marvelous would wake from his own nightmares and wander to the main deck only to find Joe already there, sword in hand, working out his frustrations. They would stay up until dawn practicing together, learning about the different weapons the different keys held, teaching each other different techniques they had picked up over the years, but they never spoke about their loss. 

It was about a week in, on their first Zangyack vault raid, watching the joy spread across Joe’s face as they took down the foot soldiers, sweat dripping down his face, Marvelous’ clothes sticking to his body that Marvelous almost gave in and pulled the ex-soldier into a kiss. If it wasn’t for the one remaining Gormin that jumped out of hiding at just the right moment, he would have. 

Marvelous decided then that Joe needed some clothes of his own and sent him off to the nearest market to buy whatever he wanted as long as he bought some clothes while he headed back to the ship to cool down 

By the time Joe retuned, Marvelous was just sitting in his chair, staring at the bracelet that covered his wrist, wondering if it was worth the risk to just give in. He looked up when the man entered and had to do a double take, immediately regretting letting Joe go by himself. 

The man had returned, tons of bags slung over his arms and across his back, in tight, grey, ripped jeans slung low across his hips, a loose black t-shirt and a bright blue leather jacket. Marvelous was at loss for words and could only stare as the man made his way across the room, depositing most of his bags on the floor by the table and taking the rest into the kitchen with him.

Curiosity piqued, Marvelous followed Joe into the kitchen and almost fell over out of shock when Joe turned to face him in a frilly apron, leather jacket gone, leaving his arms exposed. 

He almost missed the question thrown out at him, chocolate or vanilla, and had barely let a confused chocolate out of his lips before Joe was shoving him out of the kitchen and telling him to wait patiently.

~

That night, the adrenaline from their earlier raid finally gone and their bellies full of cake, and booze, they finally began to open up to each other. 

Marvelous didn’t say much, letting Joe speak his mind and tell him about his mentor, how the man had taught him how to fight and saved him from the monotony of soldier life; only the good things. The later the night got, and the more Joe talked, the more Marvelous also began to talk about his mentor, about how AkaRed would take him to find the keys they had, how the pirate had given him purpose and a dream to chase.

That was the first good night of sleep either of them had since they lost their mentors, passed out in the main room of the ship surrounded by empty bottles and smears of icing, and they both woke up fresh and bright the next morning. 

But that one bright day only made the next night harder, and they both suffered immensely as the nightmares came back full force. Mere hours after they had gone to bed they were both on the main deck of the ship, fighting with their all to try and work off the restless, desperate energy that had consumed them. 

Collapsing exhausted on the deck as the sun started rising Joe finally broke down completely. Lying on his back, arm thrown over his eyes as he tried to hold back his tears, Joe managed to choke out “He was all I had, and I lost him. He’s gone” before the dam burst and he was crying.

Marvelous felt his own eyes tear up, Joe’s words reminding him of his own feeling towards AkaRed’s sacrifice. Ever so carefully Marvelous sat down and pulled Joe up against himself. He let one tear fall as he whispered back “I understand, more than you’ll ever know.”

That night, before Joe could vanish to his own room, Marvelous grabbed him by the wrist and dragged him to the Captain’s quarters to sleep. It’s the last night either of them sleep alone, and from then on out though night times were peaceful, during the day Joe only became bolder in his flirting, dropping barely veiled sexual innuendos at any moment, putting on a show for Marvelous every time they left the ship for a raid, and god was Marvelous finding it harder and harder to resist.

But all it took was one thought of his past, the burning he felt during his first kiss with Basco, the searing pain he felt leading up to and during the betrayal to put fear in Marvelous’ heart. The bastard had scarred Marvelous for life, and though he knows in his heart that Joe would never hurt him, he had known that about Basco too.

~

But of course, everyone has a breaking point, and Marvelous’ just so happened to be Joe almost dying in an attempt to steal a stupid necklace that he thought Marvelous would like. They had just barely made it back to the ship alive and together and there was Joe standing on HIS ship in a half ripped shirt, a stupid smile on his face as he presented the necklace that he had stolen for HIM and Marvelous couldn’t take it anymore and the next thing he knew he had Joe pinned against the wall and then they were kissing for the first time, teeth clashing and lips splitting at the pressure and just for a moment Marvelous forgot why he had waited so long because it just felt so right.

But then it all comes rushing back to him and he pulls away, closes his eyes and hides his face in Joe’s shoulder, bracing himself for the pain, the burning that he was so scared of. They stood there together just breathing for who knows how long. Joe’s hand was on the back of his neck, combing through his hair and slowly the tension began to bleed out of Marvelous’ body. 

And then the pirate was laughing, face still buried in Joe’s shoulder, realizing that this wasn't Basco, that Joe would never hurt him, and then they’re kissing again and it’s just like the sparring they do when they can’t sleep, grounding and fulfilling. Even now they are completely in sync.

And as Marvelous pulls away, heads towards his chambers, Joe follows, grasps the hand hanging at his side. They enter the captain’ quarters together, falling onto the bed as one.

Later, Marvelous’ hands tangled in the long tresses of Joe’s hair as the ex-soldier sleeps against his chest, Marvelous realizes that the ship no longer feels like a prison, a reminder of his past, but now, once again, feels like a home. 

He falls asleep like that, content and warm. He's happy even, and somehow doesn't even register the pleasant warmth pulsing from behind his bracelet.

**Author's Note:**

> This story will probably have a chapter or two for each Gokaiger.  
> I will add tags and characters as they are introduced to the story.


End file.
